We all know the story behind the prenuptial agreement. A very rich celebrity couple sign a prenuptial agreement despite claiming they plan to stay together forever. Six months later, they get divorced and somehow, they end up fighting things out in court despite the prenup.

For most of us, this story is full of assumptions about the prenuptial agreement. First, it only applies to the very rich. Second, it’s for flaky people who can’t stay married and never really have an intention to do so. Third, the prenuptial agreement is easily broken and really just leads to more legal headaches. And fourth, the prenup is really just a means of getting attention.

The thing is, all of these assumptions are wrong. The idea that the prenuptial agreement exists solely to help fuel the gossip magazine and reality TV market is ridiculous, when you think about it. The prenup wouldn’t exist if it is was so useless and made life so dramatic for everyone.

It’s time to disabuse ourselves of just what a prenuptial agreement is and what its purpose is. In fact, this agreement can make life a lot easier for many of us, and not just if we’re rich. With such a high percentage of marriages ending in divorce in America, more of us would benefit from the simple, straightforward process a prenuptial agreement allows. To make this a more popular option, though, we need to demystify it and focus more attention on the benefits instead of the negative assumptions.

With that in mind, we need to reestablish, first and foremost, what a prenuptial agreement is. According to Adams Law Firm in Houston, Texas, a prenup is nothing more than “a written agreement drawn up before the marriage. This document can be used to prevent disputes later down the line, should a divorce occur.”

In other words, all a prenuptial agreement does is streamline a potential divorce if it should ever occur. There’s not a word in there about having millions in assets that need protection. So, the first assumption can be done away with. Anyone can have a prenuptial agreement, no matter how much they’re worth. It just avoids future arguments over property and assets.

The above definition also takes care of assumption number 3. Prenuptial agreements aren’t easy to fight. In fact, they almost always lead to a simpler, less expensive, shorter, and less stressful divorce. That obviously makes this a fairly worthwhile thing to consider, since we know about the high divorce rate, meaning this isn’t really about getting attention, it’s just good common sense.

That leaves the second assumption, that only flaky people who expect a divorce draw up a prenuptial agreement. Here’s the thing. We are always told to prepare for the worst-case scenario in every aspect of our lives – except marriage. We should have money saved in case of an accident or in case we suddenly lose our job. We should be prepared for bad luck and misfortune around every corner. Yet, somehow, we’re told not to prepare for that in our own love lives. Why should marriage be any different?

It’s time to move past this prejudice and do the smart thing before we jump into a marriage. It’s time to give the prenup a new reputation, so it can really do its job.

The worst feeling in the world is when you owe money that you don’t have. Your mind is racing trying to think of ways to make ends meet, pay your bills, and avoid the creditors while still living a healthy life. It’s a mentally draining feeling, that can extend into physical exhaustion when times are hectic, and money is scarce. Bankruptcy can occur for many reasons. Anyone who has faced steep healthcare bills, high mortgage payments, or been displaced from work for a while can find themselves dealing with substantial monetary issues and considering bankruptcy.

I found some reading about bankruptcy law, and what exactly the whole process entails. I know the general stigma of bankruptcy; it’s never a good thing to have on your record, and you can’t loan money from anywhere, which leaves you economically crippled. Many people are scared to find out the details concerning how and when to file for bankruptcy. However, when you find the courage to look into it, you’ll see that bankruptcy is a viable option that can relieve a lot of pressure.

With an attorney’s help, bankruptcy can be filed for a plethora of reasons. Anyone facing issues with medical bills, regardless of whether or not they have health insurance coverage, can get help from an attorney filing for bankruptcy. Retired and active members of the military can use the advice of an attorney to present their case and file for bankruptcy as well. There are many reasons and avenues by which to file for bankruptcy, all of which can be made more accessible and more transparent with the help of reliable legal counsel.

There are many reasons why someone could file for bankruptcy; it could be for healthcare, credit card, mortgage, or bills. The list is long, and sometimes it can feel like there are multiple commas in the total dollar amount owed. Exploring the option of bankruptcy can give you the feeling of and an actual second chance.

In most cases, those who owe money aren’t irresponsible or bad with money; they’re often just plain unlucky. Those who file for bankruptcy often find themselves working diligently to secure a stable lifestyle for themselves and their families, and to see success at it too. My recommendation is this: keep your mind open, and options will appear, many of which will be astronomically better than you ever thought they would. Many people have changed their lives for the better as soon as they opened their minds up to other possibilities, and their mind, spirit, and family have all thank them for it. With competent legal counsel who cares about you and your loved ones, you can find your second chance.

It was a beautiful Fourth of July day to be out on the lake with friends, in our rented boat, at least that was how it started. We were just a bunch of dumb 20 something-year-olds, dancing and drinking without a care in the world. Then, out of nowhere, some dumb teenage kids, racing jet skis, must have decided to try and see if they could, one-by-one, launch themselves and their jet skis over our above average size vessel. It should not have taken a genius to realize that this was a horrible idea with quite possibly disastrous outcomes in its future.

We, on the boat, did not realize what they about to do, let alone what they had planned to do, until the first brave, yet also stupid, soul tried to launch himself over our boat, but missed and landed in my sister’s lap. His jet ski slammed into the water and sent a huge wave our way that almost capsized our boat, at least it felt like it would.

Once we realized that this was just the first of four idiots out there with the same plan, and after we got over the shock of a surprisingly not drunk or half-baked teenager landing in our boat, we next tried to wave off, frantically, by the way, the next wave of teenage stupidity. There is no way in heaven or hell that the next one could have possibly thought that our waves and yelling were signs of encouragement. But, bless his probably big heart because he did it anyway. It all happened way too fast, and they’re way too many other boats around, for us to try and move our boat and avoid all of this chicanery.

I don’t know if he forgot to lift the jet ski, or did get as good of a running start as his other friend over here, but this guy never even left the ground. He plowed right into us, causing a jet ski sized hole to form right in the middle of our boat.

We didn’t really even bother to look to see if he was alive. That was his friends’ job. Instead, we, the boating party, scrambled around for the life jackets, which we learned too late were non-existent on this vessel.

While fully acknowledging that we were about to sink, we all jumped overboard. Fortunately, we can all swim because we’re all not morons and know basic life skills.

Nearby boats help us into their boats, and gave us towels.

The kids that still had their jet skis picked up their friends and scurried away. Fortunately, other boat owners out here saw what was happening and called the coastguard, who was waiting for them amidst the crown of party boats.

Needless to say, both this set of juveniles and the people who rented us the boat, who did not give us enough life jackets and recommended this particular spot to park our boat, will be hearing from our parents’ very powerful and very expensive attorneys.

Addiction is a compulsive need and use of substances such as alcohol, nicotine, or drugs. When you are addicted to something, your tolerance for that substance or activity (gambling and porn can be characterized as addictive activities) increases and going without that produces definite physiological changes, and this is known as withdrawal.

Addiction can’t be outsmarted. It is not a defect of character, and it is more than a bad habit. At the root of addiction is often a desire to escape physical and/or psychological pain or uncomfortable emotions. As an addict, It is common to think you are alone in your suffering, but approximately 20.6 million people suffer from some form of addiction in the United States.

How does hypnosis get rid of an addiction?

Hypnosis can help individuals get rid of their addiction in a non-intrusive way. AA and 12-step programs, while effective, are not for everyone. Hypnosis may be a preferable alternative for those who are uncomfortable speaking in groups. Hypnosis can also be a powerful supplement to those who are 12-step participants but want to supplement meetings with more than just focusing on abstinence.

Hypnosis addresses the emotional and psychological issues surrounding the addiction. The philosophy behind hypnosis is not just to encourage a person to stop drinking or using drugs, but to address why they use drugs or drink in the first place. Hypnosis gets to the core of the illness rather than just treating the symptoms. Instead of teaching someone they are powerless against their addiction, hypnosis helps people fix their coping mechanisms by solving their underlying issues.

What are benefits/what can you expect from hypnosis addiction therapy?

The hypnotherapy process puts someone into a deeply relaxed state, a place where you are somewhere between being asleep and awake. You are aware of your surroundings, yet unable to direct your focus which opens your unconscious mind consciously. This allows you to receive suggestions more willingly. Hypnotherapy techniques are created to change brain triggers, stop self-sabotage issues, release trauma and redirect the neural networks in the brain.During work with a hypnotherapist, he/she will explain your behavior to you, create a strategy for change, help you change via hypnosis and/or visualization, and then evaluate your progress.Unlike what is portrayed in movies and TV, hypnosis can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Hypnosis is not magic or party trick. It is a respected, scientific process that helps beat addiction.

The experts at the Orlando Hypnosis clinic say that many people find that hypnosis calms the mind, body, and releases stress and anxiety. For those who averse to taking pills, hypnosis can be a helpful alternative for them. Hypnosis is quick, easy, safe, effective. Those who undergo hypnosis experience fewer, less painful withdrawal symptoms. Hypnotherapy is not just about getting you sober but keeping you sober. It is important to note that while hypnotherapy is effective, it shouldn’t be used as one’s primary therapy. Do not agree to undergo hypnotherapy treatment with anyone who is not a licensed mental health professional.

Kentaro Inoue, a professor at The University of California, Davis, met a cruel death last summer after he was dragged 45 feet by a Waste Management garbage truck. Inoue’s lawyer is now filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Waste Management for damages related to the incident. An article in The West Sacramento News Ledger highlighted the details of Inoue’s gruesome experience.

The professor, a 48-year-old man, was commuting to UC Davis on his bicycle from his home in Sacramento on August 31st, 2016. As reported by the West Sacramento police, Inoue was wearing a helmet and riding in a bike lane as he headed westbound on West Capitol Avenue. Craig Michael Tivey, a driver for Waste Management, was driving a large trash truck in the same area. At the time of the accident, Tivey was at a stop on Poplar Avenue waiting to turn right on red a light. Inoue rode through the intersection and in front of Tivey’s truck just before Tivey turned right onto West Capitol Avenue. At this point, Inoue was in the bike lane directly to the right of the truck and Tivey sped up to pass the bicyclist.

Upon arriving at the El Rancho Mobile Park in West Sacramento, Tivey took a sudden right turn and caused a collision. Inoue crashed into the truck on the right side when the garbage truck abruptly passed in front of his path. After the incident, Tivey told the police “he had heard and felt something” at the time of the accident. However, he assumed he was experiencing engine problems because his truck was in need of repair. A janitor tried to get Tivey’s attention so he would stop his vehicle, but it was too late. Tivey killed Inoue by dragging him 45 feet into the driveway of the mobile park.

Agnew & Brusavich is representing Amy Brown, Inoue’s wife, in a lawsuit against Tivey and Waste Management. They claim Tivey was negligent for mistaking the accident for engine issues. Tivey is also facing vehicular manslaughter charges brought by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. He says his truck’s mechanical problems caused his failure to recognize that he hit Inoue. According to Bruce Brusavich, “Waste Management was grossly negligent in the maintenance of its truck, and it cost Kentaro his life. Tivey had written up engine problems, but if they had been promptly resolved, Kentaro might be alive today.” Tivey will face a separate criminal jury trial on September 25, 2017.

The attorneys at Amerio Law Firm hope this lawsuit will hold Waste Management accountable for their gross negligence. When reckless drivers cause accidents, they should be held responsible for the damages they cause. Losing a loved one is a painful experience that is made worse when their death was preventable. We hope this Sacramento personal injury lawsuit offers community awareness and helps to prevent future risk of serious injury or death caused by negligent drivers.

Breasts come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes, but no matter what the shape or size, they can create problems. People can find their breasts too big, too small, too low, too different from each other, or just not the shape they desire. Changing the source of an insecurity leads to a happier and healthier life, so cosmetic breast surgeons have spent years perfecting techniques to improve their skills to give people the confidence that comes with the removal of their source of insecurity. These surgeons, such as the cosmetic breast surgeons with Bergman & Folkers Plastic Surgery, can perform:

Breast implant removals

Breast augmentations

Breast reconstructions

Breast reductions

Breast lifts

Breast lift and implant combination

Breast implant exchange

Large breasts are not always the goal, they can also be the problem. Large breasts can create back problems from the burden of their weight on a person, severely affect posture, and pose a significant financial burden from the cost of buying specially made brassieres and tailoring clothing to fit over the breasts. A breast reduction can improve all these problems large breasts impose.

Besides augmentations and reductions, the surgeons can also perform reconstructions, which can help recreate the shape and size of a breast after a mastectomy performed on a cancer survivor. One of the most common treatments for breast cancer is a mastectomy, a procedure in which doctors remove the breast. Breast reconstruction is now at the stage in which cosmetic breast surgeons can closely recreate the exact size and shape of the survivor’s breast.

Breast cosmetic surgery can vastly improve a person’s outlook on life by giving them the confidence they deserve, whether it be by reducing breast size to take a weight off their shoulders or by recreating what an illness took away from them.

Divorce is a legal nightmare. You have to navigate through laws concerning alimony, division of assets, and division of liabilities. But it gets worse if there are children involved, because you have additional laws to navigate through, such as those relating to child custody and child support.

A child custody lawsuit is always the most emotional in the family court. This is because either parent wants to get custody. Whether the child goes to the mother or father, it doesn’t change the fact that there will be major changes in their lives.

But how is child custody decided? There are certain factors that need to be considered.

Earning Capacity

There may be a lot of factors that may influence child custody, but they boil down on the same core idea – it is for the best interest of the child. To determine best interest, each parent’s ability to provide for the child is considered, and this generally means each parent’s financial stability to give the child food, shelter, education, healthcare, and security.

Medical Condition

The physical and mental conditioning of each parent is also considered, because these things can negatively affect the child. Those with physical and mental conditions, such as illnesses and anger management issues, may have a harder time fulfilling parental obligations and may even hurt the child in the long run, so they are less likely to get custody.

Relationship with Child

It is not always about money and health. Sometimes, it is about who is closer to the child and who is doing more for the child, such as on the following domestic aspects:

Bonding with the child, like participating in recreational activities

Handling the hygiene needs of the child, like giving him a bath and changing his diaper

Handling the medical needs of the child, like taking him to the dentist and doctor

Handling the nutritional needs of the child, like preparing him meals and packing him lunches for school

Child’s Choice

A child, especially one that is already rational enough, may have a voice regarding custody. However, his choice does not top the other entries in this list, because the best interest of the child is still the absolute criteria for child custody. But in the right conditions, the child’s choice is definitely considered in the decision process in child custody.

Drivers and car owners are required to show proof that they have auto liability insurance whenever they register their car and renew their driver’s license; besides these, carrying auto insurance will also save them from having their license and driving privileges suspended, and from being issued a traffic ticket for violation of the insurance law which exists in all U.S. state. However, if they get involved in a car accident which is the fault of another driver who happens to be uninsured, then they end up facing financial problems because the auto insurance coverage that they carry is not for their own sake (unless they reside in a “no-fault” state), but for the sake of the person/s they hurt in an accident.

The results of car accidents often include medical treatment and hospitalization, lost wages due to absence from work, and pain and suffering. To cover these cost and losses, a victim is legally allowed to claim compensation from the at-fault driver (this compensation is supposed to be paid by the at-fault driver’s insurance provider). However, if the liable driver is uninsured, then the victim has no other choice but to file a civil lawsuit against him/her for the purpose of seeking compensation (unless the at-fault driver makes an out-of-court settlement). Meanwhile, as the court case or settlement progresses, payment for all expenses resulting from the accident will have to come from the victim’s own pocket first.

With more than 29 million drivers who freely drive on US roads and highways without carrying insurance, however, filing a civil lawsuit against at-fault drivers is a common incidence. So many drivers who comply with the insurance law are being made to suffer more because of other’s non-compliance with this same law. However, instead of solving the issue by punishing only the guilty and making them pay for the damages they have caused, aside from making sure that they purchase insurance coverage, the solution is passed back to law abiding citizens – by requiring them to get additional insurance coverage, namely, the Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage.

Uninsured motorist coverage is designed to pay for all economic losses and damages suffered by victims of accidents that are blamable on uninsured drivers; this coverage can serves as a financial safety net in accidents involving stolen vehicles or hit-and-run accidents. Underinsured motorist coverage, on the other hand, is designed to supplement any insufficiency in the policy limit of the driver at fault. A policy may be insufficient to cover all damages if it amounts only to the minimum liability coverage required by a state.

The law firm Mazin & Associates, PC, says that a car accident can most likely result to a grave injury, permanent disability or death for drivers and their passengers, bystanders, motorcyclists, and cyclists. Often, however, despite the obvious harm suffered by victims, at-fault drivers and even auto insurance firms finds ways that will save them from paying victims the amount they are legally allowed to claim. Battling against at-fault drivers and auto insurance firms is the last thing injured victims should be concerned with. It would be wise for victims to let seasoned personal injury lawyers handle this legal battle for them.

Once child custody has been arranged, the judge may determine whether or not one of the parents needs to provide financial support to the primary custodial parent. According to the website of Houston law firm Holmes, Diggs & Sadler, child support is a fixed figure determined by the courts that one party must pay to the other on a set schedule (usually monthly). Child support agreements are legally binding, and repeated failure on the part of the provider to pay on time is a felony.

Child support depends on a variety of factors, namely the income and benefits of the primary custodial parent and his or her demonstrated financial need. When the court decides the cost of supporting a child, they can then determine the financial fitness of each parent to pay their share of the cost. Essentially, if one parent is lacking, the other will pick up the slack.

There are many common misconceptions of child support and the reality of how it is paid, used, and nullified. Here are some of the hard facts:

Custody arrangements don’t play a large part in determining child support. No matter how long or how often a parent sees their child(ren), he or she is still responsible for half of the cost of raising said child.
The child support provider has no legal right to know how their money is used. Child support can be used on things directly related to the child–such as food, clothing, and haircuts–or expenses for the child(ren)’s home–such as rent, utilities, insurance, etc.

Because outstanding child support payments are considered a debt, they can affect credit score ratings. Child support, even more so than credit card debt, must be paid in full at the frequency determined by the court. Besides being a criminal offence, missing child support payments also affects how reliable a parent can appear to financial institution.

However, this particular debt cannot be escaped by filing bankruptcy. Unlike other forms of debt, child support debts cannot be swept under the rug by filing for bankruptcy. Child support is considered a priority debt by the court and, in accordance with Chapter 7 bankruptcy, cannot be eliminated.

Since before, the old adage health is wealth has been the mantra of many workplaces across the U.S. For them, a healthy workplace means a healthy business, and taking care of their employees’ health means taking care of their bottom line. Today, there are many options that employers and employees may choose in order to secure their precious health. Among them are HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations).

PPOs and HMOs are both managed care plans, which means the organization contracts medical professionals and health facilities to cover for their policy holders at a much lower cost. The first thing to know in choosing the best PPO or HMO is to check first its credibility. In some cases, PPOs and HMOs deprive doctors and other medical service providers of the pay they are entitled. According to Texas Prompt Pay Act, this practice is considered illegal, and doctors and health care providers have the right to take legal action to seek compensation.

Health Maintenance Organizations

When you are enrolled in a HMO, you will be assigned a primary care physician (PCP) who will manage and coordinate all your health needs. Whenever you need to consult with a specialist or undergo certain treatments, the approval of your PCP is needed first. Also, you will less likely be covered if you will render services outside your network. However, unlike PPOs, HMOs usually have lower monthly premiums. You can also expect cheaper out-of-pocket costs in HMOs.

Preferred Provider Organizations

Individuals enrolled in PPOs should deal with higher monthly premiums and higher, more frequent out-of-pocket medical services. These are in exchange of PPO’s flexibility when it comes to getting the services you need. For one, you will not be required to have a PCP, and a referral is not needed for you to see a specialist. Unlike HMOs, PPOs allow you to render services that are out of your network.